Sophie Devine: "Keep it simple" as Gujarat Giants face unbeaten RCB

Gujarat Giants all-rounder Sophie Devine emphasized keeping things simple as her team prepares to face the unbeaten table-toppers, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, in the Vadodara leg of WPL 2026. RCB, led by Smriti Mandhana, has won all four of its matches so far, while GG, captained by Ashleigh Gardner, sits in third place. The match renews a rivalry where RCB won the previous encounter by 32 runs, thanks to a standout performance from Shreyanka Patil. Historically, teams batting second have won all six WPL matches played at the Vadodara stadium.

Key Points: WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants vs RCB Preview & Key Quotes

  • GG seeks home win after loss to RCB
  • RCB is unbeaten with 4 wins
  • Vadodara venue favors chasing teams
  • Key players like Patil, Yadav in form
2 min read

WPL 2026: It's about keeping it really simple, says Devine ahead of GG-RCB clash

Sophie Devine says GG aims to keep it simple against unbeaten RCB in WPL 2026. Preview of the Vadodara-leg clash, team standings, and key players.

"sMETA_DESCR: Sophie Devine says GG aims to keep it simple against unbeaten RCB in WPL 2026. Preview of the Vadodara-leg clash, team standings, and key players.QUOTE: It's about keeping it really simple. We know that when we play our best cricket, we can beat any team. - Sophie Devine"

New Delhi, Jan 19

Gujarat Giants veteran all-rounder Sophie Devine said her side is relishing the chance to play in front of home fans and wishes to keep things simple as they prepare to face table toppers Royal Challengers Bengaluru to kickstart the Vadodara-leg of Women's Premier League on Monday evening.

GG will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 32-run defeat to RCB three days ago at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. "Firstly, I think it's really exciting to be back home. It's a really exciting opportunity to play in front of home fans. To be able to come up against RCB, who are obviously going really well - this tournament obviously had four wins in a row, and they're playing some really strong cricket.

"So for us, I think it's about keeping it really simple. We know that when we play our best cricket, we can beat any team in this competition. We're really excited to be able to play in front of our home fans and hopefully get a couple of wins," said Sophie in a video on WPL's social media accounts.

The RCB, led by Smriti Mandhana, have set the pace in the five-team tournament by being the lone unbeaten side in the competition -- accumulating eight points from four games. GG, captained by Ashleigh Gardner, are in third place with four points from as many matches.

A total of six WPL matches have been played at the BCA Stadium so far, all of which came in 2025. Interestingly, teams batting second have emerged victorious in all six WPL games in Vadodara. The GG-RCB clash will be followed by Harmanpreet Kaur-captained Mumbai Indians taking on Jemimah Rodrigues-led Delhi Capitals on Tuesday evening.

In the corresponding clash in the first leg, RCB maintained their perfect start to the 2026 WPL with a 32-run victory over Gujarat Giants after a standout maiden five-wicket haul from off-spin bowling all-rounder Shreyanka Patil at the Dr. DY Patil in Navi Mumbai.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had recovered from a shaky start after losing four wickets in the Power-play, with Radha Yadav emerging as the unlikely saviour by hitting 66 off 42 balls -- her maiden WPL fifty and adding 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Richa Ghosh, who hit 44 off 28 deliveries, while Nadine de Klerk's late cameo of 26 lifted the total to 182/7.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
That stat about teams batting second winning all games in Vadodara is crazy! Toss will be crucial. Hope GG can break RCB's streak. Shreyanka Patil was phenomenal in the last match.
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Aditya G
As a cricket fan from Baroda, can't wait for the match! The stadium atmosphere is going to be amazing. It's great for women's cricket to get this kind of regional support across India. GG, jeet ke dikhao!
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Sarah B
Respectfully, I think GG needs more than just "keeping it simple" against this RCB lineup. Their batting beyond Gardner looks a bit thin. They need a proper strategy to contain Mandhana and Ghosh.
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Karthik V
Radha Yadav's innings last time was a revelation! From being a bowler to scoring a match-saving fifty. That's the beauty of the WPL - discovering new talents and seeing players evolve. More power to our women cricketers! 🙌
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Nisha Z
The rivalry is building up nicely! After MI vs DC tomorrow, the points table will get very interesting. Hope the Vadodara pitch offers a fair contest between bat and ball. Let's go Giants!

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